Assessment Of Drivers Research Articles

Evaluation of the optimal quantity of in-vehicle information icons using a fuzzy synthetic evaluation model in a driving simulator

In-Vehicle Information (IVI) features such as navigation assistance play an important role in the travel of drivers around the world. Frequent use of IVI, however, can easily increase the cognitive load of drivers. The interface design, especially the quantity of icons presented to the driver such as those for navigation, music, and phone calls, has not been fully researched. To determine the optimal number of icons, a systematic evaluation of the IVI Human Machine Interface (HMI) was examined using single-factor and multivariate analytical methods in a driving simulator. When one-way ANOVA was performed, the results showed that the 3-icon design scored best in subjective driver assessment, and the 4-icon design was best in the steering wheel angle. However, when a new method of analyzing the data that enabled a simultaneous accounting of changes observed in the dependent measures, 3 icons had the highest score (that is, revealed the overall best performance). This method is referred to as the fuzzy synthetic evaluation model (FSE). It represents the first use of it in an assessment of the HMI design of IVI. The findings also suggest that FSE will be applicable to various other HMI design problems.

A data-driven Bayesian network for probabilistic crash risk assessment of individual driver with traffic violation and crash records

In recent years, individual drivers‘ crash risk assessments have received much attention for identifying high-risk drivers. To this end, we propose a probabilistic assessment method of crash risks with a reproducible long-term dataset (i.e., traffic violations, license, and crash records). In developing this method, we used 7.75 million violations and crashes of 5.5 million individual drivers in Seoul, South Korea, from June 2013 to June 2017 (four years). The stochastic process of the Bayesian network (BN), whose structure is optimized by tabu-search, successfully evaluates individual drivers' crash and violation probability. In addition, the cluster analysis classifies drivers into five distinctive groups according to their estimated violation and crash probabilities. As a result, this study found that the estimated average crash rate within a cluster converges with the actual crash rate by the proposed framework without privacy issues. We also confirm that violation records and expected crash probability are strongly correlated, and there is a direct relationship between a driver’s previous violations and crash record and the future at-fault crash. The proposed assessment method is valuable in developing proactive driver education programs and safety countermeasures, including adjusting the penalty system and developing user-based insurance by recognizing dangerous drivers and identifying their properties.

Assessment of Older Drivers’ Hazard Perception Using a Head-Mounted Display

Assessment of Older Drivers’ Hazard Perception Using a Head-Mounted Display

Planar Anode Supported SOFC Fabricated By Sequential Aqueous Tape Casting, Constrained Cosintering and Screen-Printing

Hydrogen technologies and especially fuel cells, are promising alternatives to achieve a carbon-free energy and an ecofriendly transition [1]. The SOFC technology (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) is an energy conversion system composed of a stack of a porous cathode, a dense electrolyte and a porous anode working at a temperature in the [600°C – 1000°C] range to obtain ionic conductivity above 10-2 S/cm.Nowadays, tape-casting is typically used for mass and low-cost manufacturing of supporting half-cell (8YSZ electrolyte and Ni-YSZ anode) and the cathode layer is commonly deposited by screen-printing [2]. In line with the cost reduction problematic, this presentation will describe the development and optimization of a green sequential tape casting process to obtain the anodic half-cell and screen-printing for the cathode. To target green process, aqueous based slurries are used and only non-toxic organic components are selected. The amount of organic components, ceramic powder and water was optimized to obtain slurries with a shear-thinning behavior while managing the powder dispersion stability. The parameters of the drying heat treatment have been optimized based on Thermal Gravimetric Analysis leading to obtain a multilayer flexible green tape without any bubbles or cracks further annealed to eliminate the organics and co-sinter the stack under a porous YSZ load. The flat anodic half-cell with a thin and dense layer of 8YSZ on a thick and porous layer of NiO-YSZ is completed by screen-printing of La2NiO4+ δ (cathode) based ink followed by a consolidation thermal treatment. The characterization using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and operando electrochemical tests of the cell allow validating the efficiency of the sequential tape-casting to fabricate via environmentally friendly process and low cost SOFC.[1] Rissman, J. et al. (2020) ‘Technologies and policies to decarbonize global industry: Review and assessment of mitigation drivers through 2070’, Applied Energy, 266, p. 114848. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114848.[2] Udomsilp, D. et al. (2021) ‘Performance Benchmark of Planar Solid Oxide Cells Based on Material Development and Design.’, Energy Technology, 9. doi:10.1002/ente.202001062.

CORRIGENDUM

Hydrological ProcessesVolume 36, Issue 7 e14610 CORRIGENDUMFree Access CORRIGENDUM This article corrects the following: Broad scale assessment of key drivers of streamflow generation in urban and urbanizing rivers Sarah S. Ariano, Claire J. Oswald, Volume 36Issue 4Hydrological Processes First Published online: April 26, 2022 First published: 04 July 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14610AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat The referenced article, Ariano and Oswald (2022), contains an incorrect citation. For ease of location, we refer to the PDF version of the article. The left-hand column on page 9 contains the following text:-. “Even though impervious cover is often discussed as the primary driver of the urban stream response to rainfall (Askarizadeh et al., 2015; Bell et al., 2016; Boyd et al., 1993; Brun & Band, 2000; Guan et al., 2016; Ma et al., 2018),…”. The first author's name in Ma et al., (2018) is incorrect. This citation should read Paule-Mercado et al., 2018). The reference list has also been amended to reflect this change. It should read:-. Paule-Mercado, M. C. A., Salim, I., Lee, B. Y., Memon, S., Sajjad, R. U., Sukhbaatar, C., & Lee, C. H. (2018). Monitoring and quantification of stormwater runoff from mixed land use and land cover catchment in response to land development. Ecological Indicators, 93, 1112–1125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.06.006 These changes have also been made to the full-text version. REFERENCE Ariano, S. S., & Oswald, C. J. (2022). Broad scale assessment of key drivers of streamflow generation in urban and urbanizing rivers. Hydrological Processes, 36(4), e14579. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14579 Volume36, Issue7July 2022e14610 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Indus River Basin Glacier Melt at the Subbasin Scale

Pakistan is the most glaciated country on the planet but faces increasing water scarcity due to the vulnerability of its primary water source, the Indus River, to changes in climate and demand. Glacier melt constitutes over one-third of the Indus River’s discharge, but the impacts of glacier shrinkage from anthropogenic climate change are not equal across all eleven subbasins of the Upper Indus. We present an exploration of glacier melt contribution to Indus River flow at the subbasin scale using a distributed surface energy and mass balance model run 2001–2013 and calibrated with geodetic mass balance data. We find that the northern subbasins, the three in the Karakoram Range, contribute more glacier meltwater than the other basins combined. While glacier melt discharge tends to be large where there are more glaciers, our modeling study reveals that glacier melt does not scale directly with glaciated area. The largest volume of glacier melt comes from the Gilgit/Hunza subbasin, whose glaciers are at lower elevations than the other Karakoram subbasins. Regional application of the model allows an assessment of the dominant drivers of melt and their spatial distributions. Melt energy in the Nubra/Shyok and neighboring Zaskar subbasins is dominated by radiative fluxes, while turbulent fluxes dominate the melt signal in the west and south. This study provides a theoretical exploration of the spatial patterns to glacier melt in the Upper Indus Basin, a critical foundation for understanding when glaciers melt, information that can inform projections of water supply and scarcity in Pakistan.

A mechanistic assessment of urban heat island intensities and drivers across climates

The urban heat island effect (UHI) has been widely observed globally, causing climate, health, and energy impacts in cities. The UHI intensities have been found to largely depend on background climate and the properties of the urban fabric. Yet, a complete mechanistic understanding of how UHIs develop at a global scale is still missing. Using an urban ecohydrological and land-surface model (urban Tethys-Chloris) in combination with multi-source remote sensing data, we performed simulations for 49 large urban clusters across the Northern Hemisphere in 2009–2019 and analysed how surface and canopy air UHIs (SUHI and CUHI, respectively) develop during day and night. Biophysical drivers triggering the development of SUHIs and CUHIs have similar dependencies on background climate, but with different magnitudes. In humid regions daytime UHIs can be largely explained by the urban-rural difference in evapotranspiration, whereas heat convection and conduction are important in arid areas. Plant irrigation can largely promote daytime urban evapotranspiration only in arid and semi-arid climates. During night, heat conduction from the urban fabric to the environment creates large UHIs mostly in warm arid regions. Overall, this study presents a mechanistic quantification of how UHIs develop worldwide and proposes viable solutions for sustainable climate-sensitive mitigation strategies.

Education leads to increased adherence to the ‘Australian Competency Standards for Occupational Therapy Driver Assessors’

Background Occupational therapy competency standards provide an evidence-base to inform clinical best practice, however it is not known whether education about competency standards will increase occupational therapists’ adherence to their use. Aims/objectives To investigate if education about the ‘Australian Competency Standards for Occupational Therapy Driver Assessors’ leads to increased adherence to the competency standards in the clinical practice of occupational therapy driver assessors. Materials and methods A mixed methods multiple case study design was used to evaluate 5 occupational therapy driver assessors’ adherence to the competency standards. An audit of 25 client files and interviews were conducted to evaluate practice against the competency standards prior to an education session, followed by an audit of a further 25 files, interview and feedback after education. Results Qualitative and quantitative analyses suggest that education about the ‘Australian Competency Standards for Occupational Therapy Driver Assessors’ was associated with increased adherence to the competency standards in clinical practice. The results also support the use of competency standards in clinical practice. Conclusions and significance Competency standards can be used to inform and guide clinical practice, and individualised education and feedback of practice against the competency standards can increase occupational therapists’ adherence to these standards.

First aid program for high way car drivers about road injuries

Road injuries are a major public health problem that increases every day causing more deaths and disabilities each year. Aim of this study is to: assess Knowledge, practice of high way car drivers and their life style related to road injuries. Design: A quasi-experimental design. Setting: The study was conducted on Assuit governorate at south Assuit of high way car drivers. Sampling: Purposive sample of 140 high way car drivers. Tools: Two tools were used; Tool (1). Part I: Sample sociolect-demographic data for highway cars; Part II: Questions to assess driver knowledge of road injuries; Part III: Lifestyle assessment for highway vehicle drivers. Tool (2) Observational Check List also included questions to assess drivers' backgrounds. Results: Almost all high way car drivers studied had UN satisfactory level of knowledge related to road injuries before the program conduction. However, there was a significant improvement in Knowledge, Practice and Life Style for high-way car drivers after the program. The total of knowledge, practice and life style were highly statistically significant (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: The implemented program for high way car drivers related to road injuries have a good impact on high way car drivers` knowledge, practice and life style.

Assessment of rate and drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the lower-tropical region: a case of Punarbas Municipality, Nepal

Deforestation and forest degradation (D and D), the most imminent threats to the survival of species and the viability of forests as a whole, is crucial to research its rate, as well as the underlying causes. The present study examined the rate and drivers that contribute to D and D in the Punarbas municipality of Kanchanpur district, Nepal. With the help of ArcGIS 10.8, an overall pattern and rate of D and D in the study area was identified using Land Satellite images from two different years (2000 AD and 2019 AD). 11 focus group discussions and 120 household surveys were carried out to collect data on key drivers of D and D. For data collection, stratified random sampling with a sampling intensity of 1% was used, and the Friedman test was applied for one-way repeated measures analysis of drivers by ranks. The study found that the annual rate of D and D of the study area from 2000 to 2019 AD was 0.63% and the major drivers were infrastructure development followed by illegal logging, agricultural expansion, livestock grazing forest fire, fuelwood collection, settlement/ resettlement, alien invasive species, and flood and landslide. Awareness programs are highly suggested to uplift the understanding level of local people, so they can act for themselves in the conservation of their local forest and ecosystem resources.

Assessment of Eco-Innovation Drivers within the Informal Sector in Ghana

Informal enterprises and their activities dominate the economy of the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, despise the increasing volume of eco-innovation research in recent years, the drivers of the eco-innovation of small medium enterprises (SMEs) in the informal sector remain largely unknown. Drawing from a triple theoretical anchoring method (entrepreneurship theory, shareholder theory, and resource theory), this study tests the validity of a set of eco-innovation drivers developed around the concept among firms of the informal sector in Ghana. The conceptual framework was tested using structural equation modeling and the data were obtained using the World Bank’s Ghana Informal Enterprise Survey (GIFS) as an area-based frame to survey 285 local entrepreneurs (n = 285). The results confirmed that informal enterprises do eco-innovate (mainly incremental innovation), and that innovation activities are driven by a government’s incentive regulations, market demand, and local entrepreneurs’ characteristic of hometown identity. This research highlights the contributions of the informal sector to sustainable development and draws the attention of policymakers, non-government agencies, and researchers on the drivers leading eco-innovation activities in the informal sector. The results could be used for future policy formulation.

Using EHR data to compare survival disparities in major cancer types.

e18517 Background: The aim of our study is to provide a comparative overview of survival disparities in 5 major cancer types: breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, multiple myeloma and prostate cancer, within one health system in New York City. Using this approach, we aim at initial assessment of potential drivers of disparities in cancer survival, especially for those who deceased in a short amount of time after diagnosis. Methods: A limited dataset was generated from electronic medical records from Mount Sinai Health System for the five cancer types from January 2003 to November 2020. We extracted 2 subsets from the original dataset: patients who survived less than 1 year between diagnoses and death, and patients who have survived for over 5 years after diagnoses. We performed logistic regression to investigate the effect of demographical factors on patients’ duration of survival after cancer diagnosis. Results: There are 1280 patients who survived less than 1 year and 20,816 patients who survived over 5 years. Although there are less overall colorectal cancer and lung cancer diagnoses, there are significantly more patients who deceased within a short of period of time from these 2 cancers, comparing to the other 3 cancer types. Race was an important factor. There was significantly more proportions of black patients deceased in a short period of time than in a long time after diagnosis. Percentage of individuals with short survival in Blacks and Whites was respectively 41.4% and 22.2% for lung cancer, 9.8% and 7.1% for colorectal cancer, 2.9% and 0.7% for breast cancer, 6.8% and 4.0% for multiple myeloma, and 1.4% and 0.8% for prostate cancer. This disparity was observed in all five cancer types. When comparing within race, there were significantly higher proportions of black patients survived a short time than those survived a long time for all 5 cancer types. When comparing with other races, black patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer or breast cancer were more likely to be deceased in a short time after diagnosis compare to white patients. And Hispanic patients with lung cancer were also at risk of shorter survival length compared to white patients. Thus, promoting routine cancer screening is important in black and Hispanic communities. Conclusions: Logistic regression identified factors increasing likelihood of shorter survival that included older age, and being male, Black or Hispanic. We concluded that further analysis of broader spectrum of risk factors is warranted.

Genomic Features of Lung-Recurrent Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer.

Pulmonary involvement is rare in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) that recurs after treatment for localized disease. Guidelines recommend intensive systemic therapy, similar to patients with liver metastases, but some lung-recurrent mHSPC may have good outcomes. Genomic features of lung metastases may clarify disease aggression, but are poorly understood since lung biopsy is rarely performed. We present a comparative assessment of genomic drivers and heterogeneity in metachronous prostate tumors and lung metastases. We leveraged a prospective functional imaging study of 208 biochemically recurrent prostate cancers to identify 10 patients with lung-recurrent mHSPC. Histologic diagnosis was attained via thoracic surgery or fine-needle lung biopsy. We retrieved clinical data and performed multiregion sampling of primary tumors and metastases. Targeted and/or whole-exome sequencing was applied to 46 primary and 32 metastatic foci. Unusually for mHSPC, all patients remained alive despite a median follow-up of 11.5 years. Several patients experienced long-term freedom from systemic treatment. The genomic landscape of lung-recurrent mHSPC was typical of curable prostate cancer with frequent PTEN, SPOP, and chromosome 8p alterations, and there were no deleterious TP53 and DNA damage repair gene mutations that characterize aggressive prostate cancer. Despite a long median time to recurrence (76.8 months), copy number alterations and clonal mutations were highly conserved between metastatic and primary foci, consistent with intrapatient homogeneity and limited genomic evolution. In this retrospective hypothesis-generating study, we observed indolent genomic etiology in selected lung-recurrent mHSPC, cautioning against grouping these patients together with liver or bone-predominant mHSPC. Although our data do not generalize to all patients with lung metastases, the results encourage prospective efforts to stratify lung-recurrent mHSPC by genomic features.

A Multidataset Assessment of Climatic Drivers and Uncertainties of Recent Trends in Evaporative Demand across the Continental United States

AbstractIncreased atmospheric evaporative demand has important implications for humans and ecosystems in water-scarce lands. While temperature plays a significant role in driving evaporative demand and its trend, other climate variables are also influential and their contributions to recent trends in evaporative demand are unknown. We address this gap with an assessment of recent (1980–2020) trends in annual reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and its drivers across the continental United States based on five gridded datasets. In doing so, we characterize the structural uncertainty of ETo trends and decompose the relative influences of temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, and humidity. Results highlight large and robust changes in ETo across much of the western United States, centered on the Rio Grande region where ETo increased 135–235 mm during 1980–2020. The largest uncertainties in ETo trends are in the central and eastern United States and surrounding the Upper Colorado River. Trend decomposition highlights the strong and widespread influence of temperature, which contributes to 57% of observed ETo trends, on average. ETo increases are mitigated by increases in specific humidity in non-water-limited regions, while small decreases in specific humidity and increases in wind speed and solar radiation magnify ETo increases across the West. Our results show increases in ETo across the West that are already emerging outside the range of variability observed 20–40 years ago. Our results suggest that twenty-first-century land and water managers need to plan for an already increasing influence of evaporative demand on water availability and wildfire risks.Significance StatementIncreased atmospheric thirst due to climate warming has the potential to decrease water availability and increase wildfire risks in water-scarce regions. Here, we identified how much atmospheric thirst has changed across the continental United States over the past 40 years, what climate variables are driving the change, and how consistent these changes are among five data sources. We found that atmospheric thirst is consistently emerging outside the range experienced in the late twentieth century in some western regions with 57% of the change driven by temperature. Importantly, we demonstrate that increased atmospheric thirst has already become a persistent forcing of western landscapes and water supplies toward drought and will be an essential consideration for land and water management planning going forward.

Childhood Exposure to Excess Ionizing Radiation Is Associated with Dose-Dependent Fusions as Molecular Drivers of Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Exposure to excess ionizing radiation has been identified as a risk factor for the development of thyroid cancer (1). However, there are no well-established biomarkers indicating exposure to radiation as the etiology of thyroid tumors that can be applied in clinical care or in legal claims. Morton et al. analyzed a large cohort of individuals who were exposed to a power plant accident in Chernobyl in 1986 in their childhood and who subsequently developed papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) (2). The goal of the study was to enhance our understanding of radiation-induced carcinogenesis based on assessment of the molecular drivers, transcriptomics, and epigenetic profile of PTC associated with excessive environmental radiation exposure. The authors performed whole-genome sequencing, single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray genotyping, mRNA and microRNA sequencing, methylation profiling, transcriptome analysis, and telomere-length quantification in 440 pathologically confirmed fresh-frozen PTC tissue samples for which matched normal tissue from either nontumor thyroid and/or blood was available. In the study group, 359 subjects were exposed to excess ionizing radiation in childhood or in utero; 81 individuals who were born more than 9 months after the Chernobyl accident served as a reference group. The data were analyzed adjusting for covariates that potentially affect PTC incidence, including sex, age at diagnosis, age at radiation exposure, and latency (defined as the time from exposure to PTC diagnosis). The median age at exposure to ionizing radiation was 7.3 years and the median latency before the diagnosis of PTC was 22.4 years. The exposure estimates (250 mGy on average and up to 8800 mGy) were based on direct measurements of the thyroid-absorbed dose within 8 weeks after the accident in 53 individuals, while for the remaining cohort, they were imputed from direct measurements in individuals living in a similar area.The molecular drivers were identified in the vast majority of the tumors (98.4%), mainly as a low mutation burden consisting of single candidates in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. The most common driver was the BRAF V600E mutation, but fusions in RET proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), such as NTRK1, NTRK3, ALK, as well as BRAF, PPRAG, and IGF2/IGF2BP3 accounted for the majority of the remaining drivers (41% of the tumors). Moreover, there was a significant association between fusion drivers and radiation dose, after adjustment for age at diagnosis and sex. Same significant association with radiation was observed for small deletions and balanced structural variants resulting from the nonhomologous end-joining repair of double-stranded DNA damage. In contrast, transcriptome, methylome, or telomere length were not significantly associated with the radiation dose, and all tumors were microsatellite-stable. No novel molecular signature unique for radiation-associated PTC has been identified. The study reveals potential mechanisms behind radiation-associated PTC, consisting of DNA double-stranded breaks leading to nonhomologous end-joining repair mechanisms, that result in pathogenic gene fusions responsible for clonal growth. There is no unique signature of radiation-associated PTC that could serve as a biomarker of radiation-induced malignancy.

Broad scale assessment of key drivers of streamflow generation in urban and urbanizing rivers

AbstractUrbanization is characterized by increased impervious cover, artificial drainage via sewers, soil compaction, and vegetation removal, which fundamentally alters how water moves across landscapes. Less rainwater and snowmelt infiltrate the subsurface and stream responses to precipitation are faster and larger compared to natural environments. While the impacts of catchment imperviousness on hydrologic processes have been widely investigated, the relationship between stream hydrologic response and infrastructure‐mediated hydrologic connectivity across a wide range of urban watersheds has not. This study examines the relative magnitude of control that catchment characteristics, total impervious area (TIA), and sewer‐corrected TIA have on broad‐scale spatial variability in hydrologic response. Sewer‐corrected TIA accounts for inter‐catchment water transfer via storm and/or combined sewer pipes and is feasible to estimate at the watershed‐scale using urban drainage asset data. Daily stream discharge data were used to calculate the Richards‐Baker Flashiness Index for 96 watersheds located across southern Ontario, Canada. For a subset of watersheds (n = 39) with suitable stream discharge and rainfall data, watershed average event runoff ratio (RR) was calculated, and watersheds with spatial sewer network data (n = 24), were used to assess if sewer‐corrected TIA is a better predictor of hydrologic response than TIA. As expected, stream flashiness and RR increased linearly as a function of TIA and sewer‐corrected TIA, however, sewer‐corrected TIA did not explain any additional variability in the response variables. Likewise, the relative control of catchment characteristics on the spatial variability in streamflow generation were negligible. Despite sewer‐corrected TIA not improving our understanding of broad scale variation in runoff response, it could be a useful metric to consider when assessing inter‐event variability in runoff response of, heavily urbanized sub‐catchments for improved understanding of flooding and water quality.

Spatiotemporal assessment of potential drivers of salt marsh dieback in the North Inlet-Winyah Bay estuary, South Carolina (1990–2019)

Previous studies in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic states have suggested that a suite of possibly abiotic and biotic attributes is responsible for salt marsh dieback, e.g., drought, soil waterlogging, soil chemistry, top-down consumers control, etc. However, there are no conclusive answers in current literature explaining what led to marsh dieback in past decades, especially from the spatiotemporal perspective. Exploring all Landsat-retrieved marsh dieback events in 1990–2019, this research investigates the spatiotemporal relationships between the dieback series and the associated environmental variables in an intertidal marsh in South Carolina (SC). Based on our previous study, a series of marsh dieback events in the past 30 years were identified and dieback pixels in the estuary were extracted. Among these were the most severe marsh dieback events (1991, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2013). Daily Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI), daily precipitation data from Parameter Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM), and station-based water quality observations (dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, salinity, turbidity, pH, and temperature) in the estuary were retrieved. Integrated with the proof-by-exhaustion method, statistical analysis showed marsh dieback were highly related to moisture imbalance in a period of 90 days before the dieback events. Respectively, pH for Clambank and Debidue Creek, salinity and turbidity for Thousand Acre were found to be the key water quality variables influencing marsh dieback besides drought. This study cogitates the environmental influence on coastal marsh dieback from a spatiotemporal perspective using a long-term satellite time series analysis. The findings could provide insights into marsh ecological resilience and facilitate coastal ecosystem management.

Low-Cost Magnesium Alloy Sheet Component Development and Demonstration Project

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Most of the applications of magnesium in lightweighting commercial cars and trucks are die castings rather than sheet metal, and automotive applications of magnesium sheet have typically been experimental or low-volume serial production. The overarching objective of this collaborative research project organized by the United States Automotive Materials Partnership (USAMP) was to develop new low-cost magnesium alloys, and demonstrate warm-stamping of magnesium sheet inner and outer door panels for a 2013 MY Ford Fusion at a fully accounted integrated component cost increase over conventional steel stamped components of no more than $2.50/lb. saved ($5.50/kg saved). The project demonstrated the computational design of new magnesium (Mg) alloys from atomistic levels, cast new experimental alloy ingots and explored thermomechanical rolling processes to produce thin Mg sheet of desired textures. A new commercial Mg alloy sheet material was sourced and pretreated with protective coil coatings, and its properties fully characterized. The Mg sheet was successfully warm-formed using novel lubricants into intermediate size benchmark parts and full-size automotive door inner and outer panels. The project also explored conventional welding processes for joining of Mg sheet, developed novel corrosion treatments for multi-metal assembly coatings, performed computer simulations of door panel forming using two new material cards based on crystal plasticity theory, and concluded with a door static and dynamic performance analysis. An overall cost driver and sensitivity assessment task compared the final cost penalty depending on the cost of the primary magnesium sheet.</div></div>

Longitudinal Evaluation of Circulating Tumor DNA Using Sensitive Amplicon-Based Next-Generation Sequencing to Identify Resistance Mechanisms to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma.

Serial evaluation of circulating tumor DNA may allow noninvasive assessment of drivers of resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in advanced urothelial cancer (aUC). We used a novel, amplicon-based next-generation sequencing assay to identify genomic alterations (GAs) pre- and post-therapy in 39 patients with aUC receiving ICI and 6 receiving platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC). One or more GA was seen in 95% and 100% of pre- and post-ICI samples, respectively, commonly in TP53 (54% and 54%), TERT (49% and 59%), and BRCA1/BRCA2 (33% and 33%). Clearance of ≥1 GA was seen in 7 of 9 patients responding to ICI, commonly in TP53 (n = 4), PIK3CA (n = 2), and BRCA1/BRCA2 (n = 2). A new GA was seen in 17 of 20 patients progressing on ICI, frequently in BRCA1/BRCA2 (n = 6), PIK3CA (n = 3), and TP53 (n = 3), which seldom emerged in patients receiving PBC. These findings highlight the potential for longitudinal circulating tumor DNA evaluation in tracking response and resistance to therapy.

Assessment of senior drivers’ internal state in the event of simulated unexpected vehicle motion based on near-infrared spectroscopy

Objective A driver’s internal state is a critical factor influencing driving performance, especially in cases of surprise or shock in response to unexpected incidents while driving. This study was designed to investigate the brain activity of a senior driver in response to simulated unexpected vehicle motion, compared with a relaxed state and normal driving. Methods To accomplish this, we created a driving simulator paradigm wherein participants were involved in one of the following three scenarios: sitting down and relaxing, normal driving around the city with traffic signals and other vehicles, and the exiting of a parking area. In the scenario where the driver was to exit the parking area, the gear was switched automatically by the CarMaker software without the driver being notified, leading to an unexpected condition. The driver’s internal states were classified by artificial intelligence, based on information obtained through four-channel near-infrared spectroscopy. Results Significant differences were observed between the hemodynamic responses obtained in the three conditions. Ultimately, this method can be used to update advanced driver assistance systems, with a view to preventing future traffic accidents, by activating in-vehicle safety functions based on the driver’s condition. Conclusions A driver’s internal states in a panic situation while driving can be detected using near-infrared spectroscopy and artificial intelligence.